More than HK$20,000 in cash and valuables were stolen from the Aberdeen home of two senior government officials yesterday.

Permanent Secretary for Development Thomas Chow Tat-ming, his wife Elizabeth Tse Man-yee, who is permanent secretary for financial services and the treasury, and their daughter and domestic helper were at home, but were not disturbed during the break-in, police said.

A police officer said they were asleep when their bedrooms were searched in the three-storey Manderly Garden house in Deep Water Bay Road.

The stolen property included two mobile phones, a watch, two cameras, bank cards, identity cards and their wallets containing HK$3,000.

The break-in was discovered at about 7am when the 46-year-old domestic helper woke up and discovered a window had been prised open in the first-floor living room. She then called police.

A hammer, a knife and a paper cutter were found outside the window.

"Initial investigation showed that three bedrooms had been searched in the break-in," a police officer said.

But it is unclear how many burglars were involved in the raid and how long they stayed in the house.

It is understood that the three-storey property is not equipped with security alarms.

Crime-squad officers from Western police station have been assigned to the case.

Last night, officers were checking footage of closed-circuit television in the housing estate and nearby area in an effort to find the intruders.

Police figures show there were 2,824 reports of burglary across the city in the first eight months of this year.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as HK$20,000 burglary at home of top officials